Despite facing countless struggles as one of the most renowned East-Asian actresses, Lucy Liu continues to leave a significant mark on the film industry today. The Charlie’s Angels star was born in Jackson Heights, New York. She went on to attend New York University, and eventually transferred to the University of Michigan where she attained a degree in Asian languages and cultures. During her time there, she auditioned for Alice in Wonderland and got the lead which encouraged her to attempt professional acting. She landed smaller walk-on roles, until finally appearing on the “big screen” in Jerry Maguire as an ex-girlfriend. However, it was her part as a lawyer on Ally McBeal which truly boosted her career and led to much larger roles in movies like Kill Bill.
Although Lucy Liu was able to land these bigger roles, she was one of the countless East-Asian actresses that had been trapped into detrimental stereotypes that defined their career. Liu acts as the yakuza leader O-Ren Ishii in the famous movie Kill Bill. An article in Teen Vogue labelled her role as a “dragon lady.” The author of the article defined this “dragon lady” as a woman who “uses her sexuality as a powerful tool of manipulation, but often is emotionally and sexually cold and threatens masculinity.” After hearing these remarks, Liu quickly defended the character and pointed out that the article was inherently racist by stating that Kill Bill features three other female professional killers in addition to Ishii. Why not call Uma Thurman, Vivica A. Fox or Daryl Hannah a dragon lady? I can only conclude that it\’s because they are not Asian.”
Liu recognizes how harmful the film industry can and has been to East-Asian women. They are either seen as submissive, “exotic”, and overly sexual characters or manipulative women. She believes that her iconic role as Alex Munday in Charlie’s Angels certainly helped to combat dangerous stereotypes. However, she also acknowledges that the fight for East-Asian women is far from over: “Americans need to have a sincere and candid discussion about how harmful stereotypes affect AAPI individuals daily.” With East-Asian women still being casted in restrictive and harmful roles, the film industry has a long way to go in terms of their accurate representation. Regardless, the film industry is evolving, and hopefully as more East-Asian actors like Lucy Liu emerge, it will continue to do so.